Marte Dalelv said she was overjoyed that her ordeal was finally over, after four months fighting a jail sentence in a case which highlighted the tension between Dubai’s courtship of Western investors and visitors and its strict Islamic laws. “I have my life back,” the smiling 24-year-old told reporters. “I am free, finally”.
Ms Dalelv had been convicted by a Dubai court last week of extramarital sex, perjury and consuming alcohol without a permit and sentenced to 16 months in prison. The verdict, she told press, was a shock - coming despite DNA, medical and witness evidence that she said proved her claims.
Meanwhile, her alleged rapist was also pardoned. He had been given a lesser sentence of just 13 months for extramarital sex. » | Hannah Strange | Monday, July 22, 2013
